Newbridge Swing Bridge - Newbridge, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 12.863 W 002° 31.413
30U E 531816 N 5896226
This road swing bridge spans a former lock chamber on the River Weaver Navigation.
Waymark Code: WMVZHC
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/16/2017
Views: 0
Completion of the River Weaver Navigation in 1734 provided a navigable route for transporting salt from Winsford, through Northwich, to Frodsham, where the Weaver joins the River Mersey.
The navigation has been improved and widened a number of times since then. At one point before 1898 there was a lock at this point but later improvements to the navigation included dredging the river bed here and building a much larger Vale Royal Lock to the north of here.
This
website has details of the bridge.
"This bridge - opened in 1898 and still in use today - replaced two separate bridges which each spanned a single lock chamber. Those bridges had replaced the previous lift bridge which formed one span of a stone arch bridge slightly to the north of the locks. The locks consisted of two parallel chambers with a swing bridge over each."
The former lock was on the western side of the navigation. The bridge carries a minor road between the west side and the eastern side. This swing bridge crosses the navigable part of the navigation. A non-navigable channel on the eastern side of the navigation is crossed by a static road bridge to complete the crossing.
This swing bridge is high enough that smaller boats such as canal narrow boats can pass under the bridge without the need to open it. Although commercial boats do still use the navigation, most boat traffic are leisure boats and so the bridge is rarely opened.